Short Summary

In the United States, at least eleven people were trampled or smothered to death in a stampede by thousands of fans trying to get seats for a night concert by the British rock group, The Who, on Monday (3rd December).

Description

In the United States, at least eleven people were trampled or smothered to death in a stampede by thousands of fans trying to get seats for a night concert by the British rock group, The Who, on Monday (3rd December). At least ten more were seriously injured in the rush to get into the riverside stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, to occupy the best seats.

SYNOPSIS: Pandemonium broke out when fans inside the building raced for the seats nearest the stage. Seven youths and four girls in their late teens and early twenties were killed in the surge, and many others fell injured. It took police some fifteen minutes to plough through the crowd to reach the casualties to attempt the revive them.

Police officers said the crowd had already passed through the turnstiles when the stampede broke out. The eighteen-thousand-seat auditorium had been a sell-out, but many seats had been sold on a first-come, first-serve basis, and people were crushed underfoot in the melee to reach the best places. Police did not tell members of The Who what had happened until later, as they feared cancelling the concert might bring further havoc.